1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a method, system, and computer program product for managing the temperature of an integrated circuit module. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method, system, and computer program product for on-chip control of thermal cycling of the integrated circuit (IC).
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern day electronics include components that use integrated circuits. Integrated circuits are electronic circuits formed using Silicon as a substrate and by adding impurities to form solid-state electronic devices, such as transistors, diodes, and resistors. Commonly known as a “chip,” an integrated circuit is generally encased in hard plastic called the “package.” The components in modern day electronics generally appear to be rectangular black plastic pellets with connector pins protruding from the plastic encasement.
Circuit designers use a variety of software tools to design electronic circuits that accomplish an intended task. For example, a digital circuit may be designed to accept digital inputs, perform some computation, and produce a digital output. An analog circuit may be designed to accept analog signals, manipulate the analog signals, such as by amplifying, filtering, or mixing the signals, and produce an analog or digital output. Generally, any type of circuit can be designed as an IC.
Certain voltage is required to operate a component in an IC. For example, a metal oxide field effect transistor (MOSFET) has a gate that operates at a threshold voltage. When the threshold voltage or a higher voltage is applied to the gate the MOSFET is turned on and provides a conductive path. When the voltage applied to the gate is below the threshold voltage the MOSFET is turned off.
When electronic components consume electric power and operate in an IC, they generate heat. Depending on the operations being performed by the IC, components being operated in the IC or speed at which they are being operated, and many other factors, the heat generated from the usage of electric power raises the temperature of the chip. As the operations being performed by the IC change, so does the chip's temperature. The chip's temperature is also a factor of the amount of cooling available at a given time, the type of cooling that is available, and how the heat output of the chip is changing relative to the cooling capacity.
Thermal cycling is the process of repeated heating and cooling due to the changing heat output of the chip, such as when different workloads are executed on the chip. Certain chips, such as microprocessors, experience more thermal cycling than other types of chips. Certain power management techniques employed in the operation of the chips lead to higher power swing and hence more severe and frequent thermal cycles. Recent microprocessors have turbo modes with significantly higher local temperature swing.